


project heartbeat

by moonlightmalt



Series: Project Heartbeat [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-23 17:25:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19706047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlightmalt/pseuds/moonlightmalt
Summary: this is gonna be an original work!! will adapt to a comic once I have this written. this'll be easier for me than doing the comic all at once.





	project heartbeat

We sat on my bed, feet tucked underneath us. A few feet apart. It was raining, and silly enough, a dark and stormy night, but not in an upsetting way. I was upset for different reasons; I actually quite like storms and rain. Our boots were kicked off at the door, not wanting to track any mud, and because we have some semblance of manners. I'm choosing this moment to start out with, because, the saddest parts are harder to swallow. And, I want to make sure nobody chokes up like I have. 

Don't get me wrong, crying is healthy, encouraged, and accepted. If you do choke, I'll be there patting your back, handing you some water to clear everything up, and rehydrate. Just, know that sometimes things get rough for me, and I'll be sharing these moments. So, here's one of them. 

"One time. When I was 17, he tried handing me a knife and told me, 'If you hate me so much, why don't you kill me?' I stared him down and told him I wasn't going to do that, and left as soon as I could. Which would be another year and a half, until I could actually move, but-"

"That's so fucked up..."

Here it comes. My bedsheets feel the dripping from my eyes before I realize the tears are flowing out. I don't need any apologies, I know it's shitty, and impossibly awful of a guardian to say that, to do that. Her embrace brings me out of my thoughts, which are pretty bleak at the moment, so I'm grateful.

"You're here now. You're safe, and I'll make sure nobody can hurt you like that again. I know you're capable of doing that, but I'm gonna help. You deserve better than those monsters. Family isn't just who you're born to, and you have us now. You have me, and I love you.

I nod, not trusting my voice to stay stable, and lean into her hold on me, resting my head in the crook of her neck. Her scent flows through me, like fresh cinnamon muffins, strawberries, and dirt. Weird combo, maybe, but it's comforting, and I've come to label the combination as home. I'd be lost without her, and I thank the stars she's in my life. 

My voice breaks open, a bottle fit to burst from years of stuffing everything on the back burner, unable to speak about most of it. Maybe unwilling. "Thank you,, for listening," I sobbed. 

"Thank you for sharing, I can only imagine what it's been like holding all this back. I'm here for any of it you can manage, and the bits that you can't."

Olivia pulled back to look me in the eyes, and wipe my tears away; We're close like that. She kissed my forehead, and told me again, that I'll be okay. It was hard to believe at the time, but she ended up being right. I bit back a dry laugh, and buried myself back into her, unable to worry about how vulnerable and fragile I felt. Nothing against me, just. It hurts so much to share that part of my life, and even this much broke my spirits. But it's okay. It's okay for me to speak up, and to get this out. I need to.

We stayed like this for a while, until she led me to the kitchen to get me some water and both of us hot cocoa, extra milk, extra whipped cream. Hers with cinnamon, I'm allergic. Mildly. Not enough to avoid it, it just gives me a cough if I have too much of it. I sat on the counter, wrapped in a blanket too small for me, and kicked my legs against the cabinets below me, while we waited. 

"You need anything?" Her amber and auburn eyes met mine, replacing some of the dread sinking in my heart with love, and butterflies. My breath hitched in my throat for a moment, and I spent another registering what she'd asked. "maybe some sleep after this. water's helping," I murmured, my voice soft, and low. I drank some of the water she'd handed me, trying to feel better. 

"Do you still want company? I don't mind sharing your bed, but I can give you space if you need it, too," she smiled, voice full of concern, laced with consideration. My heart skipped again, shaking off some of the depression sludge. "I think the last thing I need is more space," I laughed, a faint smile on my face. "Sleeping with you always helps... When you're not snoring," I smirked. Olivia's eyes shot wide open, mouth joining them, looking very hurt. She grabbed a nearby oven mitt, and smacked me with it, playfully. 

"I do _not_ snore!! I'm too polite for that!!"

"Says the one assaulting me with kitchenware."

That earned an eye roll. "Oh, _please_ , I know you're delicate, but you're not gonna break if I hit you with a glove."

"I dunno, Liv, I think I'm gonna bruise after this," I grinned back.

"If you do, I'm cementing that you're my little peach, and I won't hold back on calling you that in front of our friends."

I groaned, leaning forward to mock throw up at the notion. "Oli, they'll never let it drop, you know them. They're a bunch of bastards, and live to tease." She put her hands on her hips, mitt still in hand, looking adorable. "Like you don't?" I rolled my eyes back, smiling warmly now. Bickering with her is one of my favorite past times. The timer went off, a chirp filling the air. I'd reprogrammed it from the awful "bwap bwap bwap" it had made, because that was suuuuper annoying. "Hey beanstalk, I think the milk's done heating."

" _Beanstalk!?_ " She threw the oven mitt at me, only to me met with a fit of giggles, and a grin. I fiddled with it in my hands, taking in the texture of the fabric; soft, but sturdy. She went about making the cocoa, shaking her head at me in disbelief. "Who're you calling beanstalk?? It's not my fault you're practically a halfling. It was my turn to be hurt. 

"Am not!! I'm only a few inches shorter than you!!"

"Then why are you calling me beanstalk?"

"Because you tower over most of us, and I wanna climb you~," I cooed, trying to sound as smooth as possible. Which set her cheeks ablaze. Literally, some sparks flew from her face. She's got these rad fire/electric powers, and they kinda spill out when she's excited or otherwise full of emotions. She handed me my cocoa, trying to recover from my androgynous wiles. She filled our cups with cocoa, whipped cream, and other goodies, and handed me mine. "You're too good at that, fuck you."

"I bet you want to."

"Like that!! You need to be stopped. I can't flirt on the spot like that. And Yes, but not tonight, you've been through a lot." 

Now I was blushing up a storm. Figure of speech, I don't have the electric thing. I can dish it out, but I can't take it either, which makes me too easy to fluster. "Maybe another night, then. We can try something." We smiled together, a giggling mess, and made our way to the fireplace, where we talked and drank cocoa for a while, before I dozed off, cuddling on my friend.


End file.
